Camping Trip

    It has been a while since we have been camping. Living off the grid and camping is two different things regardless of what some think. So, we got up Monday morning and headed back to the hill country to camp out for a couple days. We decided to go to Sonora Caverns Park because when we went to the cavern we saw that they had a nice campground there.

    The temperatures were surprisingly comfortable compared to what they usually are in the area. I think a cool front had come in. It was nice and breezy plus the area we stayed had a lot of trees. We saw a few wild animals such as deer, a few dove and an armadillo. We also went to sleep each night to the sound of an owl in a tree nearby. The campground also had Guinea hens and peacocks who would beg for food every time we ate. They would even eat out of my hand.

     It was a very relaxing place to stay, very quiet and peaceful. The caretakers for the park checked on us every day and asked if we needed anything. It was unlike any place we had stayed before because they would not allow us to pay until the end of our stay. Most places won't even allow you to pitch a tent until they have money in their hands.
     The campgrounds were nice and well kept. There was also hiking trails and beautiful scenery. The only bad thing was we had no phone service unless we walked to the top of a hill. They also had wi-fi which many people need or want all the time. Camping was only $15 per night so that was a great deal. Water and electric was available as well as close bathrooms and showers. We can't wait to stay there again.
   
   

Red Light

    Our closest neighbors, on the same side of the road as us, are the Brambletts. They are only about ten miles from us but by road it takes 30-45 minutes to get to their home. We had been invited up several times but just never found the time to go until a few weeks ago. It was a trip well worth it.
    The view was amazing as we climbed Eagle Mountain to the Bramblett's home. Their road was long and windy but it was enjoyable. We had never been there so a few times we even thought we may be lost. Upon arrival we were greeted by a ranch hand who let us into the home.
    Jerry immediately came out to greet us and called to Kit who was glad we had come. We sat and talked for a bit and Kit told us a few stories about his life and his home. He then started to tell us the story of Red Light. I don't remember exactly how we got off track but somehow we did and the story was not finished. About a week later I had the opportunity to sit and talk with him again and this time I learned why the area we live in is called the Red Light Draw.
    Red Light is actually a well with, from what I have been told by everyone, the best water around. The water there is supposed to be sweet and pure. I was told that the water that comes from the ground is usually salty here and that is why water is brought in from Van Horn but the water from Red Light is that of legends. The well was built a very long time ago before the west was tamed and they would go out at night and light a lantern which shown a bright red light. They felt that being red pioneers could see it from miles around as they came through the mountain passes and into the valley. This would show them the way to water. Today, I don't think people would advertise free water to strangers. I love how people were respectful of life and others and I wish we could return to the days of old when things were just that way.

  

Silver Streamlines Diner

    Stephen had to work in Alpine and we are always looking for great new places to eat. I have always wanted to eat in a railcar and there is a cool looking diner near Lulling that is just that. Every time we went that way we planned to stop but it was always closed so when we saw the one in Alpine we didn't hesitate. It was called Peggy's Diner and there was actually someone named Peggy that worked there. Sometimes you find places named after people but the name is just something the new owner has inherited.
    The railcar in Lulling actually looks like an old caboose but this one was more like an Amtrack.  Once we were inside it was much more spacious than it had seemed. I loved the chrome look and all the reds. It was like a 50's diner. The inside booths reminded me of when I was little and we would go to the Pizza place in Burnet. The booths were chrome with red benches and old radios that you spoke to the waitress on. You placed your order and could then listen to old music through the radio at your table.
    We sat down at a booth and a hopping, happy waitress came over to bring us menus. She was very giggly and made jokes with us while we ordered. Once she brought our tea we sat and looked around the place as we waited for our food. The floors were black and white checked and the walls were covered with old signs that advertised things for nickles or dimes. The music on the radio was old and reminded me of some of the music played on carnival rides when I was little.
    The food arrived and was hot and fresh. I had ordered a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich with two sides. The green beans were amazing. They were extremely tender and had been cooked with bacon. I probably would have been happy just eating a big bowl of them as if they were soup.  I also had mashed potatoes which were smothered with brown gravy. I was not so thrilled with the potatoes because they were disappointingly instant. I also had a salad which wasn't too bad but I did have to pick out a few pieces of brown wilted lettuce. Overall though, the food was pretty good and I was definitely full when I left.
    The prices were reasonable and we payed around $22 which also included the tip. If you have never been in a diner like this you should try the very next one you see. Most of these places have great homestyle food that is cooked when ordered, not the night before.

Getting Ready For A Big Job

    We have been collecting rocks for over a month and we now have a huge pile. We went to El Paso today and bought the materials to start on our front patio which will be made with the rocks. The patio will be 11 feet by 40 feet and will be a closed in screened shelter. The 350 foot trout stream we are building will run under it at one end so I am very excited to get started on this.
    Tomorrow morning we will start tearing up the soil with the auger to make it easy to just press in the rocks and level them. We are mixing the dirt with portland. Once the portland is mixed and the rocks are in place we will wash it all in, solidifying the portland and holding the rocks permanently in place.
    I will be sure to add pictures once we get started. I think it is going to be amazing!

Rain in The Desert

    It seems so strange that we moved to the desert yet it seems to rain here much more often. The drought in Texas has affected so many places but Bastrop was affected by the drought and then the wildfires. I can only remember it raining about 5 or 6 times last year in Bastrop and it has rained here more times than that since July.
   We have a 550 gallon water storage tank that filled up to the 350 gallon line in just one day. It is now full and has been for a while. We really need to get some more tanks.
    On Sunday we got over a quarter inch of rain at our place. This seems like a lot but it isn't even close to what we got last week. It rained so hard last week that our road flooded. Stephen had to get out and walk it to see how deep it was. In one place the water was up to his waist.

 

 

 

 

 

        Along with the rain comes amazing skies and the occassional animal out for a stroll. I captured this picture of a turtle drinking from a mud puddle just after the rain stopped.
 

     

Pictures Are Working Yay!

   So, I tried all kinds of things to see what was going on with my picture uploader and nothing worked. I searched online and others had the same issue but there seemed to be no fix except to reformat the hard drive which I can do but didn't want to do.
   I also started having an issue with a program called Babylon which had taken over my search bar so every time Google tried to come up, Babylon took its place. After a long drawn out search in my computer and finally emptying my registry I got rid of Babylon.... fingers crossed and now I can load pictures again. I have started loading them into the posts that I have up so I hope you enjoy viewing them.

Pictures Issue

  I am sorry that the latest blog posts have no pictures. I have been attempting to upload them and for some reason Blogger just puts them up as lines of color like a broken television screen. I have tried to load them directly from my laptop computer, from two seperate external flash drives, and from a desktop. It must be something with Blogger's uploader so as soon as it is working properly again I will add pictures to the blog posts.

Caverns of Sonora

   We finally made our way to the Caverns of Sonora. Tours only go out at set times and they are not always the same time. Basically, once someone comes in and signs up for a tour they create a tour time about 45 minutes from the time that person or group pays. This gives them time to add others to the tour group. In the meantime, you can walk along their trails or view the peacocks and ginea hens. There is also a large gift shop with very intersting items. You can pan for gems or fossils or just buy  food for a picnic and enjoy the outdoors. So, even though there is a wait, there is still plenty to do.
   Be sure to use the bathroom before the tour begins because the tour lasts about 2 hours. They will also tell you that if you have problems breathing that the air is thin and it can be muggy down there. The one thing they don't tell you is that just before the end of the tour you will be climbing several flights of stairs that are at a very tight, almost straight up angel so be prepared to be fit or take a few breaks. The next day my legs were very sore. I guess I need to work out a little more.
   Inside the cavern was amazing. There were areas that seemed a bit damp and puddles that you had to walk through in some places but they were shallow. You just had to be sure to hold onto the rails if you did not have good shoes on. I think my favorite part of the tour was when we sat for several minutes in complete darkness. It seemed so peaceful. At the very end the walls were so white and smooth, this area was called the belly of the whale and it was awesome. I could set up a bedroom in that space. Other interesting features were the snake pit where formations twisted around each other like snakes. The feature called honey looked just like honey dripping from a jar. There is an amazing crystal room as well so be prepared to be awed. Be sure not to touch walls while inside because the cavern is still growing and changing. Once a spot is touched the oils and chemicals on the skin can kill the formations.

                                          

  

    

Muddy Buddy Mud Run

    Last weekend we went to the Muddy Buddy Mud Run which was a fundraiser for the Explorer's program for Border Patrol. The day started out pretty cold considering what was going to be happening at the event. It was about 62 degrees and people were going to be running an obstacle course that lead them through the mud and water.
    The course was long and hard. Men, women and children teamed up to run the course. First exchanging piggy back rides between the team members, then jumping over a series of tubes, running across twisting railroad ties, and then around a fence. Once they got to that point they had to crawl on their hands and knees through a tunnel, run for a wall of tires, climb through, and then work their legs through a series of tires on the ground. At the end of the tires they crawl through another tire wall and sprint to a tunnel they again must crawl through. Then they propel themselves over a wall and then climb over a wall of dirt, balance over a mud pit on thin beams, swing across another mud pit by a rope and then climb over another dirt wall. Once over the wall they run down a twisting, winding road to an open field where they must climb over a hay stack 10 feet high, a trailer of hay, once again over the trailer of hay and then one more 10 foot stack of hay. This put them in the home stretch where they then run across a metal bridge and then dive into a pit of mud and water that has ribbons just inches overhead. They must crawl under the ribbons, climb out of the pit and run for the finish line.
     People ran the course over and over again. It turned out to be a beautiful day. I think I had just as much fun taking pictures as they did getting me muddy!